Heart2Heart Walk Update

The inaugural Heart2Heart charity walk is gearing up at a breakneck pace as more and more people commit to being part of this wonderful event!

The route is now slightly longer at around 3006 kilometres (refer to the updated map in this article), with a few stops changed in the last leg before reaching Canberra (now via Brindabella instead of Wee Jasper).

The Walk’s planning team, led by Detective Sergeant Vince Pannell APM, has been extremely busy meeting with sponsors and supporters and preparing for the Walk’s official launch event on the 14th of February. By the time you read this, the event would have been held at Parliament House. Vince would be the first to admit that none of the progress to date would have been possible without the fantastic team of volunteers working on bringing the Heart2Heart Walk to life.

The Official launch took place at Australia’s Parliament House, with invitations sent to all federal politicians, as well as all Premiers and Chief Ministers and key opposition parliamentarians, Police and Emergency Services Ministers, first responder organisations, unions, mental health and well-being support providers, sponsors and supporters.

THE ORDER OF SERVICE WAS:

◾ 7:30am: Lake walk – National Emergency Services Memorial | Commenced and finished at the National Emergency Services Memorial (NESM).

◾ 9:00am: Morning pre-launch event – National Emergency Services Memorial | All available ACT Emergency Service Authority (ESA) personnel, vehicles, ACT Policing, and NSW personnel from reciprocal agencies were in attendance, with supporter and sponsor vehicles also at the event.

◾ 12:00pm: Official Launch –Parliament House

Over three hundred invited guests –including all federal parliamentarians and key state/territory counterparts, heads of relevant agencies, key stakeholders, sponsors, supporters and family members of those committed to this cause and the Walk itself.

◾ 5:00pm: Post Launch Function – Canberra Services Club, Barton | This was an opportunity for the Walk’s participants and other first responders to meet all the various Emergency Services executives and politicians involved with the Walk.

Ahead of the launch, Monday 13th February saw the coming together of the Heart2Heart Walk Planning Group, with a key focus on finalising registration, developing a Traffic Management Plan (3000km has its challenges!), exploring a range of ancillary events to be held in remote communities, and much more. The team were delighted that this important event was officially opened by Commissioner Georgina Whelan CSC AM, head of the ACT’s Emergency Services Agency.

The official launch was led by AFP Commander Grant Edwards APM (retd). Grant continues to be actively involved with the Heart2Heart Walk and provided the foreword for the 2019 inquiry “The people behind 000: mental health of our first responders.”. It was therefore very fitting to have him involved so closely with the launch.

ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS AT THE LAUNCH EVENT FOR HEART2HEART.

Senator for the ACT David Pocock. Senator Pocock’s hosting of the launch event was pivotal, and his office’s support has been crucial in coordinating invitations for federal politicians to the launch event, as well as the development of broader awareness of the Walk’s aims among the federal political community.

Allan Sparkes CV OAM VA. Allan (a retired detective senior constable in the New South Wales Police Force) was a keynote speaker for the launch event, in addition to being an Ambassador for the Heart2Heart walk overall. Allan is one of only five recipients of the Cross of Valour, Australia’s highest award for bravery, for his rescue of a child from flood waters in 1996. He has long been a champion for first responder mental health and is an ambassador for Beyondblue and Soldier On.

Nicole Sadler AM CSC. Nicole is Head of Policy and Practice at Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, and the Director of Responder Assist: Victorian Centre of Excellence in Emergency Worker Mental Health. She is also an Enterprise Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne. In her speech, Nicole addressed current data research on first responders, what has been achieved since the 2019 Senate inquiry’s 14 recommendations, and what still needs to be completed.

Admiral Chris Barrie AC RAN (ret.). Admiral Barrie is the former Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) and chairman of Fearless

Outreach, a charity for helping Australians who are living with PTSD. Admiral Barrie is convinced that more can always be done to fight PTSD, with an eventual cure being possible. In his address to the launch, Admiral Barrie specifically addressed the recommendations of the Senate report “When helping hurts: PTSD in first responders”, which he helped inform during its drafting in 2018.

Minister for the AFP Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC MP. Minister Dreyfus has long been a supporter of first responders generally and the Australian Federal Police specifically. The moving of ministerial responsibility for AFP back to the Attorney-General’s portfolio has already seen Minister Dreyfus make considerable headway towards progressing presumptive legislation at a federal level (together with the AFPA).

Numerous federal, state and territory politicians from across the political spectrum have now pledged their support for the Heart2Heart Walk and the Foundation. These pledges of support can be found on the Walk website: www.heart2heartwalk.org

As planning and preparations gain momentum, so too does sponsorship. This includes:

Police Bank. CEO Greg McKenna has confirmed that Police Bank will be a Platinum Supporter of the event.

Raytheon has now confirmed they will be one of the Walk’s Gold Sponsors. They are joined by the Holan Group, Torode Solutions and Diverse Training Concepts. More sponsors will be announced in due course.

Richard Rolfe. Local Canberra businessman Richard has kindly donated 100 Bravery Coins to the Walk.

The Heart2Heart website heart2heartwalk.org has been updated to reflect the new information about the Walk’s sponsors and supporters.

As stated in our last article, the Association is proud to support the Heart2Heart walk, and we will continue to provide regular updates in the leadup to the Walk commencing in July.

We think it’s fitting to finish this update with some words from Allan Sparkes:

“Inmyview,courageisthewillingnesstocare.Mybeliefis,itishow willingyouaretocareforanotherisatruemeasureofyourcourage. FirstRespondersaretrulycourageouspeople.Itistheirwillingness tobecourageousthatplacesthematenormousrisk.Risk,notonly to their physical health but also their psychological health. First Respondersarenotjustcourageousonceintheirlifetime,theyare courageousthroughouttheirlifetimes.Asanation,wefailtorespect, acknowledge and understand their courage. First Responders are themostessentialelementofoursociety.Withoutthem,oursociety will collapse around us. It is time their courage, their dedication, theirsacrificesandtheircareersareacknowledged,respectedand supportedinwaysneverseenbefore.

The Heart2Heart Walk is the start of what has needed to be done for a very long time.It is the pathway to honour and care for those who have served, are serving and are yet to serve”.